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»The Top 30 Albums of 2010 - Fashionably, fabulously late, our favorite music (and believe me, there was a LOT) of 2010, the year that some have called the best year for music ever. And only some of those fools work here. Plenty of usual suspects, lots of ties and a few surprises that I won't spoil, including our unexpected #1.

Definitive Jux really needs no introduction, especially to all of you no-dancing, indie rock loving, tight pants sporting, listening to Def Jux when you listen to hip hop leaning, kids, old men and women. And why not? The caliber of their releases, for the most part (Aesop Rock's Labor Days was such a yawn), is superb, skits are scarce, and damn it, it's nice to be able to listen to a hip-hop album on which pretty much every song is quality. Fantastic Damage, I Phantom, Bazooka Tooth, The Cold Vein - all are dark, interesting, and fierce, while maintaining both the boom-bap and the head nod. El-P's labor of talent and love is charting wax ridiculoid, and the sky seems to be the limit for where this little-indie-that-could is gonna go. This new release contains both a CD with a smattering of Def Jux hits remixed and in their original form by the astounding RJD2, and a DVD full of videos, tour footage, and a documentary about the label and it's artists.

The audio portion of the album is brief and to the point, but offers some things you may not have heard before. From Mr. Lif's "The Now" to El-P's "Squeegee Man Shooting" to Aesop Rock's remixed "Daylight," RJD2 takes samples from the Def Jux catalog and seamlessly and creatively mixes them together. On top of that, there are three live tracks: El-P and company performing "Squeegee Man," RJD2 cutting up "The Horror" and "Ghostwriter," and Mr. Lif's "Front on This." Jump over to the DVD, and you find out what this release is really all about. Sarah Vos' 30-minute documentary, Lola Da Musica, takes an inside look at the Jukies in post-9/11 NYC. El-P is articulate, thoughtful, and healthily paranoid, as he warns of the impending apocalypse and dissects the violent video games he plays. Cannibal Ox's Vast Aire, blunt in hand, speaks in the same slow drawl as he rhymes with, and talks about how fucked up poverty is, while acknowledging that he hasn't seen the worst of it. Two of the eeriest and most beautiful moments come via Cannibal Ox's "Pigeons" and "Scream Phoenix" played over street scenes of NYC. Listening to El-P's beats in this context sends shivers all up the spine. At one point, Vast Aire, Aesop Rock, and C-Rayz Walz sit in a room and slowly lapse into freestyle, a moment that lets their friendship shine as much as their creativity.

There are videos within as well, from the hilarious antics of Murs, Shock G, and Humpty Hump ("Risky Business") to the horrifying Philip K. Dick world of the animated "Stepfather Factory" (El-P) to the cheapo-graphics of Mr. Lif's "Return of the B-Boy." An hour-long tour diary/day-in-the-life-of explores the Revenge of the Robots Tour that took place last year, from live performances to antics on the bus to Mr. Lif showing off his bathroom. This is a release for those already acquainted with the Definitive Jux catalog more so than it is for the beginner. It's captivating in its construction and its content. And as the logo states: it's quality because motherfuckers are bored.
SEE ALSO: www.definitivejux.net
SEE ALSO: www.palmpictures.com

--Jonah Flicker
Jonah Flicker writes, lives, drinks, eats, and consumes music in New York, via Los Angeles. He once received a fortune in a fortune cookie that stated the following: "Soon, a visitor shall delight you." He's still waiting.

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